Yogen no Yuyami: Troubled Minds
by Nomenlos
Summary: The Yogen no Yuyami (Prophet of the Shadows) has been in a trance for two thousand years, when suddenly his body disappears. The time of troubles has begun in Hyrule. Ganondorf has taken over the capital city of the Hylians, continuing on his raids...
1. Rei

Yogen no Yuyami- Troubled Minds  
Chapter- Rei (Zero)  
By- Shinda Kiokuryoku  
  
The Yogen no Yuyami (Prophet of the Shadows) has been in a trance for two thousand years, when suddenly his body disappears. The time of troubles has begun in Hyrule. Ganondorf has taken over the capital city of the Hylians, continuing on his raids to conquer the Goron, Zora, and destroying physical form the Kokiri's guardian and banishing its spirit. The Niso no Shinda (Priestess of the Dead) risks her life to save the last Hylian with royal blood, only to be thwarted by Ganondorf's minions while fleeing Castle Town with Princess Zelda……  
  
This is the story of Sheik, last of the Sheikah.


	2. Ichi

Yogen no Yuyami- Troubled Minds  
Chapter- Ichi (One)  
By- Shinda Kiokuryoku  
  
On top of the stone tomb lay the body of a man. His platinum hair lay around his face, completely covering the right side. A long braid was twisted from this side of his head to lay on his bare chest, flowing to meet the rest of his hair at his waistline. The left arm of the body was laying across his chest and held an unsheathed katana. The right arm lay near to his side, the hand resting on the giant skull of a wolfos. The only thing covering his body was a long, piece of black linen that twisted around his torso and upper chest.  
  
A woman in a long blue robe entered the room. Her hooded head scanned the body, searching for any sign of life. Finding none, though expecting it, she sighed and lit the candles that lay all around the body.  
  
The woman moved to a stone pedestal that held a large onyx bowl. She picked out three bags from a shelf near by and a large pitcher holding water. Her hand reached into the bags and measured out some of the contents into the bowl. Half of the water in the pitcher was poured in after, then mixed with a small deku stick.  
  
As she mixed the contents, she prayed to the three goddesses and the hidden god of her people. She prayed that the Yogensha would awaken before Ganandorf, whom she suspected to be the plotting against the country, made his move against the king and destroyed Hyrule.  
  
It had been twenty centuries since the Yogensha had fallen into his trance. When he awoke, he promised he would be a guide through a time of troubles. All of this was remembered with despair. Where was he when the invading Hylian army killed all the Sheikah in their path? Why had he not come to save them then?  
  
His prophecies were written in the ancient runes of the Sheikah people on the walls and the ceilings of his many chambered tomb. Runes that no Sheikah could now read- because through the long centuries they had given all to despair.  
  
The mixture was finished. She looked at the face, neck and hands that were covered in the runes she could not read. She had learned to trace them at an early age and when she had gotten older, memorized where which rune went on the body. This had earned her the place of Niso no Shinda- a priestess of the dead.  
  
Her robe brushed lightly against the man's skin a she dipped a cloth into the mixture of herbs and water. These were used to keep his flesh from the decay of time. Ringing the cloth out, she started to wipe the runes from the previous dawn away.  
  
The ritual of cleansing the Yogensha's body was performed every dawn, excluding the day a Sheikah died. After the deceased one was mourned for a full day. The next dawn, the body would be cleansed anew. All would be the same as before, with the exception of one added rune to the lifeless body. This rune would have the privilege of resting over his heart until the next death.  
  
For over two centuries now, with the death of a Sheikah, a rune from further up the body would be mimicked. That rune was then put permanently on the wall in the one hundred foot long, fifty foot wide, Chamber of Names. Soon, a new chamber would have to be found. Far too many of the immortal people had died since his time.  
  
"Niso no Shinda," the woman stopped what she was doing and looked up. There stood a priestess from further up the caverns. "Forgive me, but the Princess of the Hylians summons you. The messenger says that she had a vision. She wishes to speak with you as quickly as you can come."  
  
The Niso no Shinda nodded, and went back to cleansing the body. If she left as soon as the ritual was finished, she would be at the castle in two days time. "Let the messenger know I shall arrive just before the gates close in to days. And send my apprentice in. I will need to instruct her on how to care for the Yogensha until I return." With a quick bow, the woman ran off to do what she was told. When the woman was gone, the Niso no Shinda spoke to her charge.  
  
"My lord, why do you not awake?" the words of the priestess were whispered. Tears started to run down her cheeks as she started to paint the runes on the body. "Our people need you. The sight of our prophets is dwindling. There are fewer and fewer of us every season's cycle. We need you now, more then we ever had. An evil man seeks to take control of our lands, of us. Hylian, Zora, Goron, as well as the few of your people who still live shall die if he succeeds. Even the peaceful Kokiri in their forest are slowly disappearing. We- I need your guidance. You no longer speak into my mind."  
  
Running feet sounded down the tunnel. A novice in a gray robe stopped, surprised to see her elder crying. "My lady Impa, what is wrong? Is it the Yogensha?" the fear was clear in her voice. "Is he-"  
  
"No!" Impa snapped at the gray robed girl. "He is not dead. I only fear the end of all is coming. He has stopped speaking to me." She wiped away her tears, and completed the final rune on the cold body.  
  
"I must go away for some time. The Hylian's princess has summoned me. She has had another vision. I need you to care for the Yogensha while I am away." As Impa continued speaking, together the two cleaned the bowls and brushes. "You know almost as well as I how to care for him. The herbs you need are well stocked and if you should need more, the boy who wishes he was Dampe shall fetch them for you."  
  
"Thank you my lady. I shall try my best to do as well as you." Impa looked at the girl and nodded.  
  
They went into the next chamber and moved two large pots of perfumed oil into the previous chamber. More were moved until there was a pot in each of the seven corners of the room. All but one of the candles were put out, and this last one was used to light the oil in the pots. The same was done in the Chamber of Names.  
  
The two women placed new candles around the body to be burned when the next dawn came. Impa picked up a pile of torches as the girl put the half used candles in two bags, handing one to Impa and putting the other over her shoulder.  
  
Together, they started the long accent up the stairs. The Stair of Ages was a steep, two thousand step journey to the lower chambers of the Shadow Temple. As they went, old torches had to be replaced every so often with the new they carried.  
  
When the lower chambers were finally reached, the girl and Impa went their separate ways. They bid one another luck with their duties and left. Impa to prepare for her journey; the girl to her studies.  
  
A short time later, Impa had changed into traveling gear. Her horse was ready as well has her things packed. Death Mountain was smoking angrily as she mounted her horse. Perhaps these visions that had been occurring to Zelda were from her lord. She hoped they had a way to save this world she knew and loved. Impa spurred her horse taking off at top speed. Time was against them, they must hurry.  
  
Two hours before dawn the next day, the gray robed girl started down the steep stairs. She had three of the Sheikah boys from the village help her carry jars of oil down to replenish the large ones in the holy chambers. The girl also planned on having them help her clean these chambers and change the torches on their way back. She was so proud of her foresight. She started to hum pleasantly to herself, the boys looking at her strangely the entire time.  
  
When they reached the bottom, she was still humming with pride. Impa would be so proud of her. They passed the well lit Chamber of Names, the boys marveling at the sight of the yellow light dancing against the gray stone and blue runes. This made the girl even prouder. She was able see this every dawn, how privileged she was!  
  
When they entered the Yogensha's chamber, she stopped to let the boys enter first. She closed her eyes and listened. After a few moments, not hearing the awed sounds she expected from the village boys, she opened her eyes. And screamed. 


	3. Ni

Yogen no Yuyami- Troubled Minds  
Chapter- Ni (Two)  
By- Shinda Kiokuryoku  
  
The jar of expensive oil hit the stone floor with a crash, shards of pottery scattering everywhere. The novice starred in horror at the empty chamber. The body of her lord was missing. Sacred candles were thrown off the table the Yogensha had been laying upon, some even melted upon the walls and floor.  
  
"My lady niso, what happened?" One of the boys, worried about the expression she now wore, asked her.  
  
At the sound of his voice, the girl snapped out of her stupor. She started to run across the chamber, but slipped in the oil cutting her knees on the broken pieces of pottery. Ignoring the blood dripping down her legs, the girl got up and went to the table. Her shoulders heaved, tears poured down her face, and she fell to her knees. A failure. She had failed. This had been her first duty to her lord and she had failed.  
  
"How," she wondered aloud. "How could have this happened? Only a few chosen know of this place. No Sheikah would betray us. I don't understand."  
  
The door to the stair of ages had been locked. The guards were still in place. A thief could not have gotten in or out of the chambers. Not knowing what to do, the girl started picking up the fragmented candles and placed them on the table. Startled, she noticed blood on the candles.  
  
"This is just great!" she ground her teeth. "Not only have I lost a corpse, but I have defiled the sacred candles with my foul blood!"  
  
Immediately both of her hands flew up to her mouth after she realized her blaspheme. Unfortunately all the energy she had used to cover her foul mouth turned against her. With a hollow, slapping sound, she fell flat on her back.  
  
This of course, made her start to giggle hysterically. "I sound like a wet frog on a hollow log." She hissed to herself between breaths. After rolling on the ground for a few minutes, she remembered where she was.  
  
The girl jumped up to straiten out her robes, acting as if nothing odd had happened. Shuffling her feet, she whistled a song she had heard the farm girl at Lon Lon Ranch sing. She thought it would be best if she took interest in the candles again.  
  
Looking closer, she noticed that the candles were melted. "That's strange. I'm sure we put new candles by the lord's body."  
  
She glanced at all the broken candles. "Hmm. All the candles have been melted. I wonder what that means?"  
  
As she looked at the melted candles, something else caught her eye. The girl lay down on her stomach and slid under the stone table to get a closer look. Using a candle she still had in her hand, she beat at the object- repeatedly.  
  
"Well, if it was a bug, its dead now," was all she said to the boys who were giving her strange looks from the other side of the table. The far side of the table. At the other end of the room.  
  
"Hey, you," she pointed to the taller of the three, "Come and pick this up for me ok?" Getting a nod from the boy, she started to slide out from under the table. To her, he looked a little skittish. "Must be scared of bugs," she shrugged, "Wimp." She didn't notice the boy keeping his distance from her, not the smashed object.  
The boy crawled under the table and got the smashed object. He slithered quickly back out, and slammed it on it on the table before she could ask him to hand it to her. His bare feet flapped on the stone as he all but ran from her, taking his place on the far side of the room again.  
  
In total confusion, she looked at the boy. "What's gotten into him?" she wondered out loud. Her shoulders rose and fell in a violent, over exaggerated shrug. "Oh well. Back to the 'thing'."  
  
The girl slid up to the object as if it would spring up and bite her at any second. Bending her back, and ducking her head down, she nearly touched the object with her nose to get a closer look at it.  
  
"Ah-ha!" she screamed. "I know what that is! It is a piece of black linen off of the lord's wrappings!" Excitedly she started to do the 'Goron happy dance'.  
  
"Wait a minute," she stopped her dance suddenly. "How does this help me find out what happened to my lord, the Yogensha?" In front of her there came the sound of a body hitting the floor.  
  
She looked up, hopping to see her lord's body magically appear on the floor. What she saw was not her lord, but the smaller of the three young Sheikah on the floor. He was repeatedly banging his head into the stone. The other two were running out the chamber door.  
  
"Stop right there you two. Come back here this instant!" Quickly she hitched up her tattered, bloody robes and ran after the two.  
  
Looking behind themselves as they ran through the Chamber of Names, the boys did not see the object looming directly in front of them. They ran right into it.  
  
"I told you to stay here!" the girl screamed to the poor boys.  
  
Thus, the bickering began. A novice screaming about how young Sheikah boys becoming so lazy, and the braver of the boys arguing about psychotic priestesses. In the chaos that ensued, none noticed the figure standing ominously above them.


	4. San

Yogen no Yuyami- Troubled Minds

Chapter- San (Three)

By- Shinda Kiokuryoku

* * *

The white stallion plodded on with a slight limp. Its own sweat and the blood of enemies mingled together on his once shiny sliver mane, turning it an ugly reddish brown color. A green glow of poison wolfos blood was slowly working its way up his leg.

Impa wished she had the time to stop and see to the nasty wound, but caution forbid her from dismounting. She hoped that they would make in time to save the horse's leg from the acid blood eating it away. Her bottle of water was uncorked for the third time in an hour. The Niso no Shinda poured the water down her mount's leg and watched the green glow disappear again. Its leg looked as if someone had been rubbing sandpaper against it.

Looking up from her mount's leg she saw a welcome site. The trail she had been looking for was only a hundred yards ahead, and there were people camped beside it. She pulled a shirt out of her pack, changing into it as her legs nudged her tired horse to a faster pace.

* * *

Once she had reached the camp, Impa searched for the group of travelers that looks best stocked. Her target was quickly spotted. It was a covered wagon with large crates with "Lon Lon Ranch" and a large cow's head branded into them. A little red haired girl sat on one of the crates. She was singing a strange tune to a chicken egg.

Impa thought this was a little bizarre, but continued to the wagon anyway. Reigning in her tired horse to keep pace with the burdened wagon, the priestess looked over at the two men on the wagon. One was fast asleep, the other mumbling obstinacies to the sleeping man. The woman changed her mind. Perhaps speaking to the girl would be the better idea.

"Girl," she spoke.

The girl suddenly quit her singing, very startled at the voice. She looked over at Impa confused.

"Yes sir?" the girl hummed; then blushed. "Sorry. Ms Sheikah."

"I need bandages. And something to heal wounds. Preferably poison antidote. Do you have any you would sell me?"

"I don't know. Let me ask Papa." The girl got up off the crate and started shaking the sleeping man. "Papa. This Sheikah lady needs bandages and poison antidote for some ouchies."

"Huh? Sheikah lady? Where?" His mustache fluttered as he looked around for the customer. "Oh! There ya're! I'm afred all I gots is mulk. Super Mulk 'tis too."

It took Impa a moment to figure out what "mulk" was. Finally she exclaimed: "Milk? What good will milk, even if it is super, do for poison and bite wounds?"

"Lady, this stuff 'ere gives ya new energa. Twa swallers in each bottle too."

"What about wolfos poisoning? Does it heal that as well?" Impa was skeptical about the man's sanity. Who ever heard of magic milk anyway?

"Yah, yah. 'T only thing it durst not to fix up is dead things. Done't be given it to the redeads ner the poes. Tha drink 'er up n' come fer ya next. Har har har!"

"How much?"

" Thirty rupees."

" Thirty! Are you crazy?"

"Naw. I sell twa cases every mornin' ter ta King n' Princess fer thrice that. Take't er leave it."

"Give me some bandages and I shall buy it. But if it doesn't work I swear I will." She left her threat in midair as she shook her fist at the man. "Here girl. Give the rupees to your father." The little girl passed the money to her father, then handed the bandages and milk to Impa.

"I promise, it really does work," she whispered as her father fell back asleep.

* * *

Impa was surprised. The girl was right. "Super Mulk" worked wonders on the sore muscles and head ache she had. He mount's leg looked much better as well. The green flames of the wolfos poison hadn't reappeared for an hour now. He still limped some, but even that was improving.

If she kept up this pace, the castle town would be in view in about an hour. Impa was glad. Her mind kept drifting to pleasantries such as a warm bath. Soon her horse was crossing the bridge to Castletown and they entered into the market.


	5. Shi

Yogen no Yuyami- Troubled Minds

Chapter- Shi (Four)

By- Shinda Kiokuryoku

* * *

If a Sheikah could ever look overjoyed, that was how Impa appeared now. Her horse was healed. Both she and the animal had their strength completely replenished. Actually, to the towns people, she looked drunk. Really drunk. They all decided it was best to stay away from a dunk Sheikah.

She hummed the catchy tune the ranch girl had been singing. The Niso no Shinda was quite proud of herself. A new medicine was discovered, and it didn't taste like horse manure. To top it all off, she had bargained with the ranch man about the price of this antidote, and gotten it for a third of what it was worth.

"Stupid cow hand," she muttered under her breath. Then she snickered and rubbed her hands together.

The woman took another step forward. Another. Two more. Then stopped.

"Wait a minute," she whispered to herself. Her horse ran into her and stepped on her foot. "Itai. Itai. That hurt you baka."

After she had removed her horse's foot from her's, Impa growled, then proceeded to stomp towards the castle as best as her pronounced limp would allow her.

Brain registration had finally keyed in. "Twa" meant two. The "stupid cow hand" had sold her a single bottle of milk for one third the price of two cases. The white haired warrior had paid thirty rupees for something that should have cost no more then three.

Trying to calm herself, the warrior continued to the castle. She swore Din's wrath upon the man and prayed he got to meet Ganondorf face to face.

* * *

Baka stupid/idiot

itai ouch


End file.
